Ponder this:

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy Holidays!

I didn't want to get into this before the holidays were over.



There seems to be an uprising of angry folks who want to say and hear only "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" or any generic greeting.  Just as a reassurance to those who worry that the general decline of the country's moral fiber is due to that perceived change, I offer these images of vintage Christmas cards. 





Vintage, as in "1950s." 













When men were men, John Wayne was relaxing at the end of his workday by donning women's clothing, when a black man (Nat King Cole) having his own television show was cause for public clamor, when Jews were the them that Muslims are now.  The good old days.  Nobody was offended by "Happy Holidays" then.


Hey... (suspicious squint)...Wait a minute.
Maybe that's when it all started!

15 comments:

VioletSky said...

This is too funny - I also noticed the profusion of generic greetings on vintage cards when I was searching through various sites for old cards!! The things we forget, eh?

Friko said...

Hi June,

I couldn't work out your comment on my 'Heimat' post, so I came over to see what you could have meant.
I think you'd have to experience the feeling of a lost place to know what I'm on about. As for Wilhelmina, from your image of her she looks a sturdy character to have sitting on one's tree, hope she's not come too far out on a weakish limb.

There's no shortage of "Season's Greetings over here and I've yet to hear anyone complaining.
Maybe I've just misunderstood your post, possibly due to imbibing a little more than I usually do of the kind of liquid seasonally flowing.

Barb said...

Hi June, I have too many friends of different religious persuasions (or none) to say anything but Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings. Why not include everyone?

Lord Wellbourne said...

How about back to basics? Happy Yule!! Solstice Greetings!! That anyone would go out of their way to acknowledge the existence of others either by word of mouth or by the written word-- regardless of the phrasing--should be enough motivation to keep one's persnickety opinions to one's self. MERRY Christmas, HAPPY Holidays, Season's GREETINGS, HAPPY Chanukkah or Kwanza, who cares? They're greeting you with merriment and joy and that's always good and welcome. Isn't it?

June said...

Violet Sky, absolutely. There is danger in not remembering.
Barb...me too. I'm not into limiting my good will to those who share backgrounds similar only to my own.
LW, it's "good and welcome" to me, and it seems as if it ought to be particularly appropriate to those who believe in a God of Love.

Friko said...

HI again, I commented here, but I did read the previous post and commented on it and this one in one go. See above.

Is there yet another one?

Friko said...

Me yet again,
Heavens, I shall have beaten a path to your door until it's become quite shiny with my footsteps.

I have just seen that you have added me to your bloglist. Would you be a dear and become my follower too. If you click on Google Friend Connect on my blog it'll show up and I can show you off.

Pathetic, I know, but I always ask people to humour those of little minds.

June said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wanda..... said...

Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings Has always been fine with me the first is so natural for including Thanksgiving and New Year as well as anyone of different beliefs and the latter conjures up Winter's Festivities. I have many cards from the 1950s too June!

Lord Wellbourne said...

Thank you, June, that was exactly my point. Let people wish you whatever they want and translate it into whatever belief system you have. So easy and far less humbuggy.

Susan said...

Love those vintage cards. Found a bunch when I cleaned up my uncles house when he passed. At least folks are speaking to each other. I say Merry Christmas and let them hear what they want. I will follow it up with Happy New Year. Have a great one.

Friko said...

Right, this is positively the last time I shall tread this particular groove. Even my stumps are wearing down!
Yes, June, you got it.

I have been back in time, to that long forgotten post of March 2009 (may it rest in peace) and a very beautiful post it is. I enjoyed it tremendously.

As you see I have returned the favour and am now your follower too and may our cyberrelationship be a long and fruitful one.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the visit and comment. I am slowly getting back on my feet and only just had another one of those coughing fits. I hope to be rid of those soon.

A number of years ago, when I was teaching, the idea of "Keeping 'Christ' in Christmas" was the big thing and nobody had much good to say about Merry "Xmas" and around the same time and I have not seen it since. I don't know if that is a good thing or not. I do know that saying X and Mas sounds odd.

Joe Todd said...

Made me smile.. Been a tough couple days I think I'll blame it on the moon LoL

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I remember several of those old cards. I find myself saying Happy Holidays just because by the time New Year's Eve rolls around, seems like I've been celebrating a ton of holidays. Or so the scale tells me. Happy Holidays just seems to cover all my partying.